ECWA USA
Welcome to the world of Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) USA! We invite you to embark on a journey of faith, hope, and transformation with us.
ECWA in the United States is committed to glorifying God by loving, obeying, worshipping, and serving Him. In fulfilling the Great Commission, the Church will witness to the lost, establish churches, and nurture believers empowered by the Holy Spirit to be a productive part of the church and society.
ECWA envisions to be a dynamic global church guided by the Holy Spirit, self-sustaining and effective in meeting needs of the society spiritually, socially, economically and serve as agent of change towards godly living.
ECWA USA will glorify God by being a missional church that equips its members to be disciples of Jesus Christ who will saturate their neighborhoods and go to the ends of the earth, living out their redemptive lives and reproducing disciples who will be God’s agents to transform lives and communities.
THE STORY OF ecwa global
The history of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) is a story of faith, sacrifice, and an unwavering commitment to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It all began with Mrs. Margaret (Craig) Gowans, a woman burdened with a vision for the unreached people of Sudan. For years, she prayed fervently for the salvation of African communities, even calling the region the "Whiteman’s grave" due to its deadly challenges.
In 1893, her prayers took a bold turn into action when her son, Walter Gowans, answered God’s call. Together with two other young men, Thomas Kent and Rowland Bingham, Walter embarked on a daring mission to the hinterlands of Africa. They landed in Badagry, Lagos, with little more than faith, determination, and thirty British pounds in their pockets.
The journey was far from easy. Within a year, Walter and Thomas succumbed to illness, giving their lives for the mission they believed in so deeply. Rowland barely survived and returned home with their story, determined to keep the vision alive. Their sacrifices sparked the birth of the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), which laid the foundation for ECWA as we know it today.
Against all odds, the mission persevered. By the early 1900s, stations were established in various parts of Nigeria, spreading the gospel and serving communities through education, healthcare, and discipleship.
Today, ECWA stands as a vibrant global church, carrying forward the legacy of these pioneers. Our story is a testament to God’s faithfulness and the courage of those who dared to dream big for His kingdom. From humble beginnings, we now serve as a beacon of hope, proclaiming the message of Christ to every nation, tribe, and tongue.
Join us in this ongoing journey of faith as we continue to embody the love, compassion, and sacrifice of those who came before us.
The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) is a testimony to God’s faithfulness and a vision for empowering local churches to thrive independently. This vision began with the Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), which introduced a mission indigenization policy to enable churches to become self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating.
Through a series of meetings and reforms starting in 1950, the foundation was laid for an Indigenous Church. In January 1954, at a historic conference in Kagoro (now in Kaduna State, Nigeria), a constitution was adopted, and the church was officially named the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA). Just a few months later, the first General Church Assembly (GCA), now known as the General Church Council (GCC), convened from May 18th to 20th, 1954, in Egbe, present-day Kogi State, marking ECWA’s full establishment.
While ECWA became independent from SIM, it maintained a close partnership with the mission, working together to select leaders and oversee its growing districts. In time, the church embraced a new name—Evangelical Church Winning All—to reflect its mission of bringing the gospel to all nations while preserving its familiar acronym, ECWA.
Today, ECWA has grown to over 10 million worshippers across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The church operates through 91 District Church Councils (DCCs) and 18 departments, ensuring efficient ministry and effective service to communities.
From its small beginnings, ECWA has remained committed to proclaiming Christ, building disciples, and serving with love and purpose. We continue to uphold the vision of a thriving, indigenous church—united in faith, growing in number, and winning all for Christ.